Puzzle Pieces
by LF7
Summary: “Aww, Derek, that’s the sweetest non-wedding present I have ever received!” She presses her lips against his again. “Thank you.” DomiRae's challenge. All Dasey.
1. The one where there was tea

**Hey! So this is a series of oneshots for DomiRea's challenge. I had a LOT of fun writing it. So, i hope you enjoy it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek**

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_xxXXxx The one where there was tea..._

"Make-up?" She looked at herself in the mirror, rubbing off the smudges of eyeliner that she had missed earlier. She smiled at herself, content with what she had. "Check."

"Directions?" She shuffled through her almost too-organized purse for her mapquest directions. "Check."

She looks around. She's missing something. What could it be? "Oh, no! Derek?"

"Check." She twirls toward the direction of her apartment door, throwing a hand to her neck. Derek had strolled in as casually as possible.

"God, you scared me!" He smirks. "Didn't your mother ever teach you to knock before entering someone _else's_ apartment? Geez!"

"Seeing as how I lived with my dad throughout my prime learning years, I'm gonna go with 'No'." He teased, running his hands through his hair. His 'Just rolled out of bed' look was more of a 'Just spent thirty minutes with my hair gel to make it look like I could care less'. He was such a girl. "You're lucky I'm goin' anyway. Don't test me. I mean, geez! We already did this with your dad."

"Oh, please." Casey threw her head back and laughed. "That was just a warm-up. As of now, he means nothing. That may as well of had never happened. Wipe it from your memory. Because today. Today means everything."

"Cut it out. Your making it sound like we're going to meet with the Devil." Derek shivers.

She rolled her eyes. She really hoped he wouldn't act like this later on.

She waved him over. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know! Come here."

He walked over to stand in front of him as she started to fuss with his clothes. She straightened his collar. He knew there was not point in stopping it so he did his best to ignore her. "So, tell me again." Try as he might, he was actually extremely nervous about this.

"Okay," She started and then looks at his tie. "What is this?"

"I was going for that Windsor thingy." Derek muttered.

"You failed." She un-did his tie and started over. "Okay, their names are Donald and Marie. But, don't even think about calling them that. Just stick with Mr. and Mrs. McDonald and you'll be in the safe zone." She straightens out his tie as she speaks.

He closed his eyes. "Donald. Marie. Got it."

"Good." She steps back to look at him fully. "Okay, if you choose to speak, please keep it away from the following categories: cheese, beans, burritos, meat, you know what? Let's just say _food_ is strictly forbidden." He huffed. "Scary movies, stupid comedies, comedians, _chicks_," She raised an eyebrow at him and he laughed. "Clubs, bands," Derek nods. "And, Ralph."

His eyes snap up immediately. "Ralph? Why can't I talk about Ralph?"

Casey crosses her arms and stares at him. "Derek, just,"

He continues. "What? Ralph's cool. He's really funny too. I mean, he can make fart sounds with his eyebro…" She glares at him. "Yeah, maybe I should stay away from that topic."

"You do that." She runs her hands a few times through his hair and looks up at him. She runs her hands up and down his arms a few times. "Relax. You'll be fine."

He shrugs away from her and walks toward the door. "Of course, I will." He grabs her coat off the coat rack, helps her into it and they leave.

**

"And, make sure-"

"Casey," He shakes his head in annoyance. "Stop it. They're just your grandparents. They can't be that bad. It's _just_ tea."

"Is it?" She gives him a look like you have no idea. "These people are British, do you know how British people are about their tea?"

"British people really don't care about tea." Derek laughs. "Case, you watch too many movies."

"Do I?"

He looks at her face expression, and thinks about how corny and keener-y Casey is. And suddenly he's scared shitless.

**

"Oh, my God!" Derek freaked. "I've never even held a _real_ teacup before. I mean, I've held play teacups like Marti's and stuff. But, I've never… oh, God!" His hands were shaking and his eyes were darting around the car. He couldn't stop moving as Casey hastily tried to calm him. "Oh, God! We should just go home. Right now. Let's turn around!"

They had pulled over on the side of the road, and Derek was having a nervous breakdown.

"I can't do this. I can't-" _Slap! _It was silent for a few minutes as Casey stood there frozen with her hand in mid-air. Derek's face bright red with a hand print covering half of his face. He brings a hand up to hold his cheek.

"I'm sorry! I just… I couldn't think of a better… you were _scaring_ me!" She rambles scared that she actually hurt him. He looks up at her and shakes his head.

"Thanks. Needed that." He starts the key in the ignition and pulls back onto the road.

Despite Derek's sudden calmness, Casey was still breathing really hard, staring at him from the corner of her eye.

**

"Casey, darling." Marie walks over to Casey and gives her a small hug.

"Hi grandma." She smiles. Donald walks over to the three and stands there. Glaring. At Derek. Everyone can feel the tension oozing in from the walls and through the windows.

"Er," Casey tries to avert the attention away from Derek. "Hi grandpa!" She skids over to give him a huge hug and returns it.

He laughs. "How's my baby?"

"She's fine." She snuggled a little closer to him. "But, I would be _great _if…"

"If?" He pulls away frowning and then glares at Derek. Derek cowers under his glare.

"If you could try to understand how important this is to me. How important he is to me. Because, I know at times you can be a _little_ judgmental. So, please, for _me_, be nice to him." Casey does that whole little girl puppy dog eye look and her grandpa just wants to melt. Even though she's now 26 that look gets him every time.

He mumbles folding his arms. "I'm not promising anything. But, I'll try."

"That's all I ask." She smiles brightly and goes back over to Derek taking his hand. "Tea, then?"

Marie brightens. "Yes, right this way."

**

"So, what you're telling _me _is," Casey stared down at her plate, face bright red. She wanted to die. No, she _was _dieing. A slow and painful – _very_, painful – death. Derek wasn't doing any better. He kept scratching at the back of his neck and glancing at Casey before he spoke.

"- that your entire 'career' is a game." How he made the word "career" sound like he was physically putting air quotes around it when he wasn't was a true talent. "A hobby, even."

Derek looked at Casey. He so was in hell right now. Actually Hell might be paradise compared to the heat he was under. She bit her lip and looked down. "Well, I wouldn't say -"

"Ha!" Donald looks at Marie tight lipped. "Marie, did you know he was planning on supporting _my_ little girl with money he gets after he wins a game?"

"I get money whether we win _or _lose." Casey smiled at him, encouraging him to go on. "Obviously more when we win, but I'm on a pretty amazing team."

Donald folds his arms. "What happens when you stop winning?"

Derek, sick of being manhandled, shot back. "We won't."

Casey and Marie freeze. Casey leans her face into her hands on the verge of tears, thinking, _"Why is he fighting back? What is he doing? Does he _want _to die?"_

Donald scoffs at him. "So, you're the one who decides whether your team wins or loses? You're entire _salary_ is based off of how well your entire team does. When they start losing, you'll start losing."

Derek sucks in his cheeks.

"Then what happens to my baby girl?" Donald sets his teeth in a really animalistic type way.

"Listen," Derek sets down his tea cup, turning his entire body at Derek. "I make millions!"

Donald sets down his cup as well, and does the same. "You make millions now. What happens when you lose, Derek?"

Derek points a finger at him and Casey's eyes widen to the size of saucers. "I _won't_ lose. I'm _great_. I _carry_ my team. Not trying to sound cocky, but I'm the head _and_ the tail. The top of the pyramid _and_ the freaking bottom. This is the one thing I am actually _really_ good at. So, if my team starts losing, they will _no longer_ be my team. I will be on the team that wins, because I am a winner."

"You are a winner?" Donald chuckles and relaxes back in his chair. Derek seeing him un-tense does the same. Casey shoots Marie a wary glance and she shrugs. She has no idea what's going on either. "Tell me Derek, how'd you meet Casey?"

Casey turned her head.

Derek's face turned red. "Her mom married my dad when we were 15."

Donald nodded. Surely he already knew this. "Oh, that's good. Because I remember my Casey was so _distraught_ about moving to a new area. So frightened. With no friends, you can imagine that." Derek nodded. "_You_ must have helped her ease into the new place? Showed her around? Helped her out? Made her feel comfortable and at home?"

Casey interrupts. "Grandpa, you know -"

He holds up her hand and waits for Derek to answer.

"Uh, no. No, I did not." Derek said through clenched teeth.

"What?" Donald said in mock surprise. "Why wouldn't you do everything in your power to make her feel safe?"

"Well, because, I," He stammered out. "Well, it's because I was mad at her. For taking over my home, and family."

"So," Donald crossed his legs. "What I'm getting from this is, that when you're mad at her you will stop providing for her. Stop caring for her."

Derek turned red with anger. "No! I would not stop providing for her just because we got into a fight. We get into fights all the time. Every day."

Casey clenched her eyes shut and tried sending Derek telepathic messages to just shut the hell up.

"Every day!" Donald eyebrows shot up. "You guys get into fights every day! Yet, you want to be with her for the rest of your life? You do want to be with her for the rest of your life don't you?

"Of course, I do." Derek pursed his lips.

"How can be so sure that you'll spend the rest of your lives together?"

"I just am." Derek spat indignantly.

Donald smiled. "How? Derek?"

Derek looked around at Donald, Marie, and then Casey. And, gave up. "Okay, obviously there is no right answer here. Everything I say is wrong. Everything I think is wrong. And, I schmooze. I'm a schmoozer. I usually get exactly the things I want, exactly when I want, because that's how good of a schmoozer I am." Casey's eyes widen in fear as he continues. "I'm persuasive. I'm witty. And I can schmooze. But, the one time! The _one _time it's actually really frickin' important to me that I win you over I cannot schmooze. I cannot be persuasive. And, I'm not frickin' being witty. Casey is too damn important to me, and there's too much frickin' pressure on me. I use to think that Casey was the only one who could call me on my bullshit, but apparently not. And, I'm blanking."

Donald stares at him in shock.

"And, I _don't_ blank!" Derek cries indignantly. Somehow throughout his speech he ended up standing.

Casey starts pulling at the hem of her dress and frantically mutters quietly. "Answer the damn question. Just answer the question."

Derek sighs sitting down. "I know me and Casey will be together forever because she is the moon to my sun. She is everything that is not me, and everything that I wish that I could be. She is my opposite. She is my opponent in every way. She is what keeps me in check, keeps me sane. She is the rain on my parade. She is my other half. And, right now, I may sound like a stupid cliché chic movie, but, I am so much in love with Casey. I love her more than anything. I am _not_ the relationship type. I am _not_ the commitment type. But, I _am_ the Casey-type. And that's all I want to be for the rest of my life, okay?"

Marie places a hand to her heart and smiles, tears welling up in her eyes.

Casey's tears have escaped her lids, and she's already leaned over and grabbed his hand.

Derek stares into her eyes. "I might have to come up with new wedding vows."

"No," Casey smiles. "Those are perfect."

Donald has slowly uncrossed his legs and his arms and begins to straighten up.

"Well then," He gives Derek a look of somewhat appreciation and respect. "More tea?"

Derek relaxes and Casey is shaking his hand under the table, excitedly. It's the first time he actually felt comfortable since he got here. "Actually, could I get a soda?"

Donald gives him a look. "Don't push it."

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**ha, Review!**

**Laura :D  
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	2. The one with that whole cell phone thing

**Hey, guyz. It's me! Laura :D. Anyways, i'll be updating another chapter of Pages that Tell My Story as soon as i can. So, don't worry. Sorry it's taking so long. But, yeah hope you guys like this chapter. **

**All the oneshots in this fic are companion pieces. But, can be read separately.**

**SORRY!!! I accidentally deleted it. had to put it up again. **

**okay. So, the word is: cell phone. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Life With Derek also i got an idea for one part of this from Instant Star. Thats it.  
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_xxXXxx __The one with that whole cell phone thing_

"Babe?"

Casey didn't hear him. She was too busy fiddling with her phone.

"Babe!" When she doesn't look up, he grabbed the phone from her, holding it over his head.

"Der-_ek_!" She reaches up and, not without difficulty, grabs the phone back. "Cut it out."

Derek rolls his eyes. "_You _cut it out."

They are walking through the mall, hand in hand, supposedly on a date. If you wanted to call it that. She did. She busted out the house with a nice dress – a little short and revealing for her taste, but she had no time to reconsider. He, however, just had on jeans with a nice sports jacket on. It _was_ the mall.

They hadn't had a minute together in months, so Casey scheduled some "quality us time". Whatever the hell that means. To which he responded with, "Isn't that what the rest of our lives are for? Who cares if we don't spend time together now?" To which she glared at him until he broke down begging for forgiveness to something he completely did not understand.

And now he's here.

"You know for someone who was all hot-to-trot about this quality time thing you're definitely not spending any time with me." Derek looked to his left and noticed a gumball machine. As a rule, Derek can never pass a gumball machine without getting a gumball. It's like… the law.

He led them over towards the machine and fished in his pocket for a quarter. He let go of the hand holding Casey's and searched inside his other pocket. Coming up short again, he reached into his back pocket for his wallet. Opening and finding only bills, he inwardly cursed himself for never keeping change. That's the last time he ever said, "Keep the change."

By this time, Casey had already opened her purse, found her change purse and fished out a quarter. When he finally looked back up she was placing the quarter in the machine and the gumball was spinning round and round as she said,

"I don't know what you're talking about. We're spending time together now."

Derek gives her a look while bending down to grab the gumball. He popped into her mouth. "Tell me if this reminds you of anyone."

She rolls her eyes at his lack of manners, as he smacked his bubble gum.

He continues in a whiny voice, "_Der-ek_, ever since this whole wedding thing we've barely spent any time together. Let's hang out, like we used to. You know me and you. You and me. No drama. No wedding. Just us." He looked at her. "You drawing a blank? I'll give you a hint. Her name rhymes with Shmasey."

"Shut up!" She smacked his chest, placing her hand back in his they continued walking. "You know I don't sound like that."

"I don't know if I actually know that, Miss Case, or anything, for that matter." He frowns, confusing himself. She laughs. "Anyways, Casey, if you want to take your mind of the wedding maybe you should throw out your phone."

She looks at him mock-incredulously, while secretly trying to text the florist what colors she wanted. "Why?"

"Because I'll bet," He lets go of her hand, reaches around her waist and grabs her phone again, stuffing it into his back pocket. "That whoever you _were_ texting had something to do with the wedding."

"Yes, well," She turned on him. "You're very smart. Now give me back my phone."

"I am very smart. I won over your Grandpa, didn't I?" Derek smirked. "And, no, I don't think I will."

Casey's playful grin turned into an evil glare. "Derek-"

"_Casey_," He said just as demanding if not more. He turned her around so his arms were wrapped around her stomach as he walked with her. He whispered fiercely into her ear, "_We're_ going to go into this restaurant. You are _going_ to eat something expensive. And I'm _going_ to complain at you, and then _you_ are going to act all bitchy. And _we're_ going to be together, goddammit! 'Cause this is what _you _wanted. And you're going to like it. Understood?"

And she tries her best not to laugh at how ironic that whole statement is, and how crazy he sou.

She folds her arms against her chest and sticks out her lip, pouting. He bends down and kisses it. "Not gonna work."

"Ugh!" She stomps into the restaurant with Derek trailing behind her.

**

An hour later they're laughing hard (read: fighting) at the restaurant, which even at age 26 consists of throwing food and name calling. You know, the normal Casey and Derek stuff, when Derek gets up to use the bathroom.

Casey sits there for a couple seconds, fidgeting. She can't help but wonder how they are doing without her. It's only a week 'till the wedding. There is a lot to be done. She doesn't have time to be sitting around doing nothing. She has tons of work to do.

"I need my phone." She mumbled to herself. She gets up and heads towards the Men's Room.

**

"Um, hello?" Derek turns his head toward the intruder from where he was washing his hands. "I think you're in the wrong room."

Casey closed her eyes and let out a huge frustrated breath.

He looks around to make sure no one's around. He walks up to her and places his hands on her shoulders. "You okay?"

"No." She opens her eyes. They're watery. "I need a hug."

Derek looks at her skeptically, but nevertheless leans forward and presses his body against hers, wrapping his arms tight around her. She buries her head into his chest and he leans his chin on her head. They stay like that for a while, breathing in the moment. Derek pulls Casey's face up to him and lightly presses his lips against hers and then suddenly fiercer.

Before he knows it, he feels Casey's hand slipping down his back to… his back pocket? He laughs, pinning her back against one of the bathroom stall – what an actress -. "I don't think so." He mumbles against her lips.

CLICK!

They look up.

A young man – teenager(ish) – had snapped a picture with his cell phone.

Derek and Casey freeze. It was like they couldn't move.

So, the guy took _another_ picture.

And then, he ran.

Derek and Casey sprang apart. Derek stepped back and began biting his lip. Sure sign that something bad was going to happen.

"Oh, my God!" Casey cried, hands flying to her cheeks. Her face bright red. "He's gonna – and they're gonna…"

Derek nodded. "Mmhm."

"And then, we _looked_ like we thought we got caught… I-I-" She closed her eyes in disbelief.

Derek started pacing. "Yep."

Casey eyes bored into Derek's. She looked down at herself. Her dress was kind of short, a little more skimpier than she usually sported. Derek's hands began pulling at his hair. "That's gonna look way dirtier than it's supposed to… then it actually _was_."

"Yes," He agreed, taking off his leather jacket handing it to Casey. "Yes, it is."

She grabbed it. "Derek?"

He leaned down to tie his shoes. "Babe?" He straightens up. She had her worried/pissed off face on.

"Get. That. Phone."

He flinched. "Yes, ma'am."

And he was out of that bathroom in two milliseconds, chasing down Mr. Wannabe-Papz.

**

He ran through the mall looking for the kid. He spotted him running down the escalator. Derek quickly followed, running down the up escalator, screaming.

"Hey, kid! You get back here!!" Derek screamed, thanking God for his hockey playing body.

Such a scene caused people to look in that direction. Soon mutters of, "Isn't that Derek Venturi? The hockey player? What is he doing?" could be heard throughout the east wing of the mall, forming a little crowd.

And then, when they saw who was trailing after them running as best as she could in her stilettos, you could hear, "Wait… and that's Casey McDonald!! The author!! She wrote that one book. The next "Twilight" or whatever? Aren't they getting married? What are they doing?"

"Case!" She ran over to Derek, where he had successfully grabbed the kid by his shirt and was trying to take his phone from him. The kid – he had to be like 15, 16 at the most – seemed to be ten feet off the air when Derek picked him up, shaking him.

The phone fell out of his jacket pocket and to the floor. Casey skidded up to it and if the fall didn't break his phone, her heel smashing into the screen of the phone did. She bent down and took out the battery, just to be safe. Derek let the kid down. They both let out a huge sigh of relief.

He pulled out his wallet and slapped two hundred dollar bills at him, mumbling. "Sorry, kid."

Casey seeing the situation was being handled said, "I have to go pay the restaurant." He nodded at her.

The guy, clutching the money to his chest, looked up at him scared to death, and also in amazement.

Derek rolled his eyes. "I can't let my girl be seen like that, okay? I know how the Paps twist things."

The boy just stood there, stunned.

Derek sighed. "Want me to autograph something?"

The boy's eyes widened and shakily shook his head.

**

"You _do _realize," Casey started as they walked – hand in hand – to the car. "That that _whole _thing is your fault."

Derek opened the door for her and helped her get in. "You're right."

"I mean – wait… what?" Casey was caught off guard. Surely, he did not just agree with her. Not that easily.

"You're right." He smirked. "I _made_ you follow me into the men's bathroom. I _made _you _molest_ me."

Her eyes widened. She smacked him. "Derek! I _so_ did not molest you!"

"Whatever, Spacey!" He closed the door on her before she could say anything.

But, when he got around the car she was still going. So, it really didn't matter.

"I was clearly just trying to get my phone. Which you so _rudely_ just snatched out of my hand. I mean, who do you think you are?"

He rolled his eyes. How many times a day did he get that speech? "If you weren't being so Sally-Miss-Texts-A-lot I wouldn't of had to!"

She scrunches up her face at him. "Cute."

"I thought so." He backs out of the parking spot while adding. "I was trying to help you out."

"Really!" Casey exclaimed. "How did me running all around the mall like a chicken with his head cut off end in helping me?"

He scofed. "Excuse me, Spacey, but I'm pretty sure I was the one running. You, however, insisted on wearing your freaking giant shoes-"

"They aren't giant shoes!" She insisted as he held out his right hand instinctively and she, without even thinking, placed her left inside his. "They're stilettos. And they're gorgeous. And, if they happen to make me a little bit taller, well, that's just an added bonus."

Derek pulled up to a traffic light and turned to her. "Whatdya need to be taller for?"

"I don't _need_ to be taller." She admitted a little quieter. "I just wouldn't mind being a couple inches higher off the ground."

"Uh, cut it out!" He said disgustedly. "You're perfect. You're a great height. What's not perfect, however, is your dress, Skimpy-Miss-Skimps-a-lot."

She gasps in horror. "This dress is NOT skimpy!" Although that is exactly what she had thought, but just the fact that he said it made it so completely un-true. "It's covering all the necessary…"

He rolled his eyes as she continued on in an unnecessary attempt to teach Derek fashion. Apparently – according to Casey – he would never learn. And, he was okay with that. Because if this was how the rest of his life was going to be, well, he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Derek!" She punched his arm. "_Derek_, are you even listening?"

He stared up at the ceiling. Maybe not. "God, I _hate_ cell phones!"

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**Hope you liked it. Review and tell me what was your favorite part.**

**Laura :D  
**


	3. The one with the moon

**I'm sorry, guys. I've been so busy. So stressed. So BLOCKED. ya kno? So i wrote this little drabble(ish) to get some creative juices flowin'. PTMS chapter should be up soon. LIke i haven't started writing it, but, you know, i have an idea.**

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xxXXxx The one with the Moon

She wakes with a start and a, "What the hell?" She looks around the room, but no ones there. She lies back down because maybe she's just being stupid. But, is she? She closes her eyes and there it is again. She knows she heard it that time. She walks over to the window just in time for another rock to be thrown at it.

She cranks it open and looks down. Derek. She opens it all the way and whisper-yells, "_Derek_, what are you doing?"

He waves down at her and she shakes her head. "Just come down!"

"No way, Derek. It is the _night_ before the _night_ before our _wedding_! I need my sleep." She is shaking her finger at him, speaking fiercely. "And, so do you."

He folds his arms and even through the dark, she can still see him smirk. "You're gonna make me do it?"

"Derek, do not!" She looks around quickly for something to throw at him. "I will… I will kill you!"

"I'm gonna do it!"

"No, you are so not!" Casey demands. "Don't you dare!"

He clears his throat and then loudly – very, loudly – he screams, holding out an arm "REPUNZEL! REPUNZ- Umph!"

He's suddenly knocked to the ground from the force of Casey's body making an impact with his own and he wants to scream out in pain, but he knows that'll only get him in more trouble. Instead, he mumbles. "I imagined that a lot more graceful."

"Yeah, well," Casey struggles to get up and whispers. "I thought you'd catch me."

She holds out her hands and he grabs them, and she "helps" him up off the ground.

"Now," She brushes off her jeans. "What do you want?"

"Follow me."

She laughs. "Uh, no."

He starts walking off into the darkness and she realizes she's all alone, in the dark, and scared to death. She runs toward him screaming, "Derek, wait up!"

She catches up, grabs his hand and follows his lead.

**

Casey, after several minutes, huffs out. "Derek, _where_ are we going?"

Derek turned to her. "Where's the fire, cowboy? What's your rush? You'll see."

"You'll see." She mimics, and he can't help but smirk at how much he's corrupted her. How much he's loosened her up. Come to think of it, she used to be a _real_ tight-wad.

**

"And, here we are." He stops walking and she looks around. She looks at him and then looks around again.

"I don't get the joke."

"Why do you just assume that because it's me that it has to be some kind of a joke?" He looks at her and pulls out a flashlight out of a bag she just now noticed he had. "It hurts you know."

"Well, Derek, we are in the middle of nowhere. In a random field." She looks down. "You had that flashlight this _whole_ time and NOW you take it out!"

He grabs her by her shoulders and sits her down on the grass. He sits down next to her and lies back. "It's beautiful, right?"

She looks at it and sighs. She leans back and rests her head on his chest. "Yeah, it is." There's a pause. "You're not going to be all cliché and say just like me, are you?"

"No," He reaches into his bag again. "But, I am gonna be cliché with this."

Derek pulls out a piece of paper and holds it close to him. He sits up and sits her up too. "Casey," He grabs her hands, and looks her dead in the eye. "I love you. More than anything. And, to show you just how much I love you, I had a star named for you."

He watches as her mouth slowly turns into a huge Cheshire cat grin, because he knows how into cliché(ness) she is. And, having a star named after you is like a dream come true (to her). "_Shut up!_ You did not."

He nods. "I did."

"Oh, my God! I always wanted a star named after me." She snuggles closer to him looking up at the sky. "How very _A Walk to Remember_(ish) of you, Derek. Something must've stuck."

"Yeah, well, when you're forced to watch the movie 50 times, you get the memo." He ruffles her hair.

She's standing there with a huge smile on her face and all this anticipation. "Well, give me the paper. I want to see my star!"

"Okay," He hands it to her and then snatches it back. "But, you need to remember that, Case... I _love_ you."

She narrows her eyes in suspicion and grabs the paper. She's silent for a few seconds and then she looks over at Derek.

"Derek,"

It takes every thing he has not to burst out laughing.

"This is a picture of the moon." She slaps him hard on his chest. "Jackass."

"Wrong." She looks at it again.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's a picture of the moon."

"No, Casey, it's a _bad_ picture of the moon. I did it myself." He smiles this huge broad smile and laughs at her face.

She rolls her eyes and leans back down and whispers quietly, "Yeah."

After he finishes laughing he realizes how disappointed she is and rushes to explain, "Because you see Casey, they told me you couldn't change the name of the moon. That it was set. But, I wanted you to know that if I could, I would do anything for you. And sometimes," He taps her chin. "I might disappoint you, I might make you angry, and you might hate me sometimes. But there is NOTHING I wouldn't do for you. Nothing."

She smiles up at him and reaches an arm up to bring his head down toward her. She kisses him because she loves him. She kisses him because she knows everything he said was true. She kisses him because she knows she would do the same for him. And, that calmed all her fears of their lives together. All of them.

"Aww, Derek, that's the sweetest non-wedding present I have ever received!" She presses her lips against his again. "Thank you."

"It better be the only non-wedding present you ever receive." He laughs. "Plannin' on dumping me?"

"Never." And she lets him slip his tongue in her mouth to reassure him, because, hey! He's a man. He has needs. Or, so he says.

"Derek." She mumbles against his lips. He moves to her jaw.

"Mm?"

"You just did that so you wouldn't have to get me a present, didn't you?" She asks.

He laughs.

* * *

**Review,**

**Laura**


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